Publishers Description:
From Gregorian Chant to Henryk Gorecki, the first living classical composer to get into the pop album charts, here is the fascinating story of over a thousand years of Western classical music and the composers who have sought to express in music the deepest of human feelings and emotions. Polyphony, sonata form, serial music - many musical expressions are also explained - with the text illustrated by performances from some of the most highly praised recordings of recent years.

The Narrator:Robert Powell played Jesus in Franco Zeffirelli’s Jesus of Nazareth, which won him four major international. He also played Mahler in Ken Russell’s film of the same name, and his other film credits include Harlequin, Tommy, and The Thirty Nine Steps. He has appeared on stage in Hamlet, and Travesties and on TV in The Detectives.

The Music:
From Gregorian Chant to Stravinsky and Gorecki - 150 musical excerpts illustrate the narrative